From education to job opportunities. Defining professional profiles for geographers with high competences in GIS environment

Abstract

In this paper, the importance is underlined of promoting higher education and training courses and opportunities, focused on a close connection between GIS and geography to cover topics of remarkable and daily social interest. In the first part of the contribution, some educational key points are defined in order to fuel a virtuous circle which can provide considerable methodological and applied skills in the use of GIS applications. It is considered fundamental to broaden one's mind, to provide practice to the theories, to give enthusiasm and security in one's own skills, to create a community of Geographers able to provide important added value in different research fields and workplaces. Therefore, it seems essential to build a trait d'union between the university and the workplace. Particular attention is attributed to well-structured university modules founded on GIS applications, to intensive courses for postgraduates and to the geocartographic laboratories. In the second part of the paper, the focus will be on some examples of professional profiles for Geographers in order to define specific professional categories. In particular, ten application fields for Geographers with high competences and abilities in GIS environment are identified and explained with relative examples. In all these cases, a rigorous approach founded on geographical contents and a wide, updated and concrete use of GIS functionalities and extensions is required.